Optical networks are employed in a wide variety of environments from data centers to transit or backbone networks as well as backhaul and Radio over Fiber (RoF) applications. To connect different nodes in an optical network, switches are employed. Photonic switches allow the switching of incoming optical signals from input ports to output ports without requiring a conversion of the signal, from an optical signal to an electrical signal and then back to an optical signal (OEO). Avoiding OEO conversions obviates the need for conversions to and from the electrical domain, which can allow for the design of faster switches. Design of a photonic switch may involve trade-offs among a number of factors such as capacity, blocking probability, synchronous or asynchronous operation, cell count, optical loss, crosstalk etc. Photonic switches may be designed to suit particular requirements of different applications. It would be desirable to have a modular photonic switch architecture that may be used for different switch sizes and applications.